Certain diseases or conditions may be treated, according to modern medical techniques, by delivering a medication or other substance to the body of a user, either in a continuous manner or at particular times or time intervals within an overall time period. For example, diabetes is commonly treated by delivering defined amounts of insulin to the user at appropriate times. Some common modes of providing insulin therapy to a user include delivery of insulin through manually operated syringes and insulin pens. Other modern systems employ programmable fluid infusion devices (e.g., insulin pumps) to deliver controlled amounts of insulin to a user.
A fluid infusion device suitable for use as an insulin pump may be realized as an external device or an implantable device, which is surgically implanted into the body of the user. External fluid infusion devices include devices designed for use in a generally stationary location (for example, in a hospital or clinic), and devices configured for ambulatory or portable use (to be carried by a user). External fluid infusion devices may establish a fluid flow path from a fluid reservoir to the patient via, for example, a suitable hollow tubing. Generally, in order to advance fluid from the fluid reservoir, a pressure is applied to the fluid to direct the fluid out of the reservoir and through the hollow tubing.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems for managing pressure in a fluid reservoir chamber of a fluid infusion device. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.